Notes / Commercial Description:
The Duck-Rabbit’s Scotch Ale is a full-bodied, deep copper-colored treasure. Bold and malty, this beer’s sweetness comes from a massive quantity of grain complemented by some serious kettle carmelization. The flavor is rounded out by a warming alcohol sensation.

Reviews by nhindian:

My first Wee Heavy / Scotch Ale and first brew by the Duck-Rabbit! Kind of flying blind with this one and have no idea what to expect.

A - Pours a dark amber, with nice light brown highlights around the edges. Builds about a 2-fingered, eggshell head that stays intact surprisingly long. Some specks of sediment, but overall pretty clean, yet cloudy. Leaves some impressive lacing.

S - Smell is strong caramel and breadiness with a real earthy feeling from the malts. Smells a bit of spice, but overall very sweet as well. Quite robust and thick.

T - The taste of this is almost overwhelmingly sweet. Malt-bomb up front and then alcohol kick at the end. Throughout you get a caramel, thick, bread taste. Underneath some darker fruits, plums and cherries especially.

M - Mouthfeel is thick and carbonated moderately. Alcohol really warms the mouth, but really suffers from a thick feeling in the mouth in the aftertaste.

D - Drinkability is low. Just almost overbearingly sweet and earthy. Doesn't hide the alcohol very well. I'll continue to explore the style and this brewery, but I'll pass on this one in the future.

More User Reviews:

I have enjoyed the Duck Rabbit offerings I have had for the most part and this was no exception,poured a deep clear amber with a thin wispy head that was gone very fast leaving nothing behind,nice complexity in the nose,brown sugar,roasted nuts,and a nice leafy hop presence wich may not be true to style but is nice nonetheless.Very rich tasting brew but not overly sweet full bodied and somewhat of a sipper,deep brown sugar and caramel notes up front with underlying baking chocolate with lighter raisin notes finishing with a touch of earth.This a nice beer full of rich flavor and pretty bold,thanks to hoppedup for this solid brew.

Lively beer brings three fingers of tan head to the pint. Dark and tawny, though not dark enough to show off the clarity, and has a reddish glow in the light. Stodgy malt nose of fresh-toasted bread, slight taffy and nougat sweetness. Creamy smooth with a slick full body. We let this one warm up to cellar temperature before sampling. The maltiness pulled away layer after layer, exposing the palate to an array of complex flavors and suggestions of toasted bread, amid cocoa powder, nougat, melanodian and treacle. Hop bitterness is mild and the flavor follows very mildly. Alcohol is warming with a clean non-expressive character. Faint fruitiness of ripe figs in the semi-dry end.

Beers of this stature and size need some care when pouring; this one is best at cellar temperature. Amazing ale here, enjoyable and drinkable in the context of the style. Malt-bomb fanatics should flock to this treat.

This one pours into my glass a deep maroon color with a touch of brown. A fizzy head appears and then disappears as quickly as it came. Bubbles of active carbonation rise up. Aromas begin with deep, rich caramel covered dark fruits and a dense malt. There's a light smoky peat in there as well as some chocolate and a nutty bread quality. Quite a nice nose on this one.

First sip brings a rich somewhat bready caramel laced malt body along with lots of notes of dark fruit and some vinous qualities as well. Flows down with a nice mellow smoky peat flavor that moves into a touch of hop bitterness. The brew finishes with a nutty, malty aftertaste and a lingering sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and slick with good steady carbonation. Goes down easy and still makes its presence felt. Overall, this is a tasty Scotch Style ale and being a style I'm not a huge fan of that's saying a good amount right there. The sweetness could be dialed down a bit though. The last few bigger beers I've tried from Duck Rabbit have impressed me. I'm looking forward to trying more soon! Thanks UncleJedi

Sampled at Barley's in Asheville. I didn't think I'd get a chance to have this one, but an inpromtu trip to the area lead me to this one (and then I found a 6pk the next day down at Greenlife).

Garnet, caramel body. Basically clear when held to the light. Arrived with only a little head, but a quarter inch of off-white head remained and reduced to nothing as my glass emptied.

Caramel and light toasted malts prevailed in the aroma. Some smokey peat flavors came through as well. Raisin and plums too. Alcohol is evident but expected. Very nice.

Taste is typical wee-heavy and no corners were cut to water this one down. Toasted malts and chocolate again come in with some raisins and figs. The typical scottish alcohol twang is there in the finish, almost whiskey like to me.

Mouthfeel is full, coats well and the flavor really lingers. Superb drinkability. To the the style, flavorwise. Alcohol works in perfectly. Definately a sipper but one I'll gladly partake in again, and luckily I can.

This beverage looks like caramel goodness: a deep chocolate brown with a thin, creamy top. If it weren't poured from the cold bottle just outta my fridge, it could pass for melted Hershey bar. This isn't my dessert, but it looks like one.

Sure does smell sweet, too. I can smell the caramel malts, so it's more like a Caramello than a Hershey bar now. There's an alcohol aroma that suggests its 8%. It doesn't seem complicated, but a definitive representative for the style.

Nothing's misleading yet, for it tastes like alcoholic sweetness. Not buttery puckering like a brandy, but a malted beerball. I see some hop lacing as the beer swirls, but that's the only hint they're there. Unmistakably caramel malts, but the alcohol offers a drying warmth that dampens the sweetness. It also makes this less fitting for dessert, and more appropriate after food with a cigar. It's a unique style, but the sweet caramel and ethanol don't mesh. I taste one, and then the other. Better than most, perhaps, but still not good.

First it feels sweet and malty with a caramel twist, and then it dries out the palate. Integrating the two might really be special, but this is like an homogeneous mixture. While other Scotch-styles might lean one way or the other (sweet and caramel malty or dry and burning), this one offers both independently. That makes it uniquely average.

Drinkability ain't so good because it ain't so good. It's neat and worth trying, but not novel enough to keep in collection. Worthy of producing for fans of the style, this one is "occasional" at best.

Aroma has a lot of toffee and caramel maltiness, some toastiness, a note of whiskey, and some delicate hopping that seems floral.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a politely restrained carbonation.

Taste is surprisingly complex, especially as it warms. Malty caramel and toffee, a fruity Winesap apple note, and solid earthy hops bittering. A whiskey note is pleasantly warming, not overbearing. Some red cherries are also picked up throughout. Finishes with a wood smoke aftertaste.

Another impressive outing by this little North Carolina brewery. An interesting and well crafted example of the style and a most pleasant sipper on a cool autumn evening.

Rusty brown in color..a full finger of light tan head...half of it remains on top...some glorious lacing remains.
Nice aroma in the nose...sweet honey and cherries.
Flavor is where this one takes off dried fig, toasted caramel, dried cherries, sherry...the alcohol is slightly medicinal, but not astringent. Not quite hitting me like a scotch ale until this offering hits room temperature...sweetness wins out in the end...not very dry in the finish.
Mouthfeel is fairly thick...not cloying.
Very enjoyable brew...something I'd end the evening sipping.
Thanks again ChuckCook.

Very dark red with a beige head that leaves bits of lacing. Aromas of caramelized sugar, chocolate, sherry, and maybe a touch of oxidation. Sweet at the beginning, almost a cherry Tootsie Pop flavor with a lingering sweet finish. Some other sweet caramel and toffee flavors also show up in the taste. High carbonation and full body, but it gives the impression of having less body from the carbonation.

The beer pours a brown color with a tan head. The aroma is toffee, dark fruit and alcohol. Somewhat surprisingly, I don't get any peat malt or smoked notes in the aroma.

The flavor is similar. I get a ton of malt - both toffee and caramel. I also get some alcohol, dark fruit and a little bit of peat malt and smoke. The beer is fairly boozy and as the beer warms it gets a little medicinal.

Color is a clear burned amber with an impressive off-white head. Nice duration with sticky lace on the glass. Aromas are sugary sweet, with lots and lots of dark fruit notes evident. A whiff of ABV as well. Flavor starts off with a chocolate-drizzled dark fruit medley. Middle sees a roasty-toasty malt influx, and finishes with a leafy hop bitterness with a Heath bar note. Thick, thick mouthfeel really boosts this up. Nicely done.

The last beer i brought back from my vacation at the Outer Banks,came in a 12 brown bottle crimped cap like the rest of the Duck Rabbits Poured this one into my Mad Elf tulip glass.

Cloudy,deep copper color had a reddish/orange hue when held to the light.1" tan head dissapated quite quick to a slight layer turning into a ring of foam around the glass.Some very tiny bubbles tightly knit surging from the sides of the glass,no lacing at all.

Sweet,very carmellized aromas with lots of roastyness,sharp burnt notes with a tinge of alcohol,woody/earthy with dark fruit and tea leaves. Complex aroma with hints of burbon/scotch.

Intense sweet heavy carmell at first taste,with charred wood,earthy,syrupy tastes with a boozy edgy to them.Dark fruit with dry tea leaf bitterness at the finish. Good balance,interesting taste.

Has a light mouthfeel at first with the mouthfeel getting fuller by the second finishes thick and chewy.A sipping beer with a decent amount of booziness. One beer at a time for me on this one.

Brought back several Duck Rabbit beers back from vacation the dark beer specialists it says on the label. All were very good dark beers recommend all there beers. Pick some up if you can.

Pours a deep murky mahogany brown hue with a light beige thicket of foamy head. Aroma has deep fruit notes, includig raisin, brown sugar, and other malt driven tones going on. Flavor has apple cider tartness with deep raisin notes and alcohol influenced tones, what a complex Scottish wee heavy. Again sweet dry tartness is reminiscient of dry apple cider big malty layers leave a layer of dirty dryness like apple skins compared to other flavors. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied dry astringent layers of complexity, drinkability for me provides a deafening layer of wow and yes I can deal with this. Drinkability is incredible definitely glad this beer is complex enough in detail and reputation to gain some appreciation in the Beeradvocate realm.

Nice deep brown with a shade of mahogany showing through. Thin toffee brown head. Smoky alcohol aroma with dried fruit notes. Almost like a drunken fruitcake. Huge malt body hits with a mild hop profile. Alcohol present through to the finish but warming and pleasing. A very slow roll in the mouth thickens it up. This also releases ome piney flavors. Alcohol still present but this is still complex with: malt, fruit, hops, butterscotch. I think i am getting some wood or peat smoked flavors somewhere, yes, definitely. A bit earthy. I feel as though I am sitting by a huge stone fireplace in Scotland in the dead of winter warming up with this awesome example of the style! Excellent.

Pours a dark brown color with a half-finger off-white head that dissipates quickly into a thin ring around the glass. There's some lacing but it disappears quickly.

Smells good. Lots of sweet malt and earthy aromas up front, and as it warms there's a slight tinge of chocolate.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Very sweet up front, followed by a smoky/earthy flavor. I can't detect the chocolate that I smelled earlier. There's a mild roasted malt flavor that I pick up every now and then. There's a very mild bitterness at the end.

Mouthfeel is alright. It's not quite as thick as I would expect, and the carbonation is a bit on the heavy side. It still goes down pretty easily.

Drinkability is alright. It's a bit too sweet, I prefer more of a smoky/roasted flavor here. That being said, I had no problem finishing the beer.

Overall this is on the bottom half of Duck Rabbit's beers in my humble opinion, but it's still a solid offering. Worth a shot if you're into the style.